With this year’s holidays upon us it is easy to try to find that special quirky gift that the tech guru in your life might enjoy. Being the eco-friendly person you are, however, might lead you to some questionable choices that the receiver might be concerned for your mental state. I came across these while doing some shopping “for a friend” myself and thought that some of these were worthy of sharing.

Merkury Innovations can provide you the latest in loudspeaker technology at a fraction of the cost. You can order their new Universal DIY Loudspeakers for only $15! This plug-n-play cardboard design will be sure to match any décor or look good on your client’s desk as a gift option to say thank you for their business. You could also upscale it for $20

and get the Eco Boombox made from unused packaging that otherwise would have been tossed into the local landfill.

Concerned about e-waste? Now you can save that old PC or AV component from the trash heap or spare some child labor in a third world country from the toxic smelting plants by having it turned into Circuit Board Jewelry. Hop on over to Etsy to find the latest fashion in geek chic accessories including cuff links, rings, watch bands and more!

It’s the environmentally friendly way to have your kids listen to their music. These noise-canceling ear buds give you high quality sound at a fraction of the cost of comparable items. Available in rich wood tones of chocolate or cherry, these will make your kids be the envy of their friends.

Tired of having old computers pile up in your house and not know what to do with them? Recompute has the answer for you and your family. You might want to even consider your office as well. This desktop running Windows OS uses is created using sustainable practices and has a completely 100 percent shell made of corrugated cardboard. The hard drive (500 GB with 4GB RAM) are swappable components, meaning you have upgrade rather than tossing the whole device. And for starting at a mere $599, it’s a steal.

Want your little ones to understand the world of a sustainable eco system? Plan Toys has a great product for them – Eco Town. It includes imaginary solar panels, recycling facilities, wind turbines and a charging station for their electric Little Tykes car. Made from organic rubber wood and other non-toxic materials it will surely last even the most rambunctious youngsters and at only $200 is far less expensive and more eco-friendly than that puppy you were planning.

When ever there is a trade show you inevitably wind up with a suitcase full of USB flash drives. ATP has developed EarthDrive, the first 100 percent recyclable USB flash drive. It uses a mix of plant-based bio degradable plastics to accomplish the task. The drive is waterproof and built to last about 10 years providing between 1GB and 16GB of storage space. For the data security conscious it enables password protection. The best part is they company donates a portion of the sale price ($16-70) to American Forests, a not-for-profit that plants trees in deforested areas around the world.

Tired of higher electric bills because of vampire power drain from all of your family’s gadgets? Put Volt-star’s Eco Charger in their stockings. It is sure to be a hit! This charger simply shuts off when the device has reached full charge. There is an Apple version too!

Hopefully these gadgets with bring some smiles and chuckles to your holidays and help save the environment, even if just a little, in the new year.

Gefen from Core Brands today announced that its 4K 600 MHz 1:2 Scaler with EDID Detective and Audio-De-Embedder (EXT-UHD600A-12-DS) is now shipping. Gefen says that it has independent scalers built into each of its two HDMI outputs and one output can downscale a 4K 600 MHz signal to 1080p while the other can upscale an HD signal to 4K Ultra HD 600 MHz. In addition to its scaling and splitting capabilities, the unit also features advanced EDID management with built in, pass-through and user EDID capabilities. Gefen claims the scaler has the capability to handle 4096×2160 to 60 Hz 4:4:4 and 4K Ultra HD 3860×2160 to 60 Hz, 4:4:4 — both at 10-bit color — with HDR-10.

The new 1:2 scaler also de-embeds audio from HDMI, and outputs it as L/R analog and TOSLINK Optical Digital Audio (2 channel LPCM, and up to 5.1 channels of Bitstream). Multichannel digital audio includes 7.1 channels of LPCM and HBR (High Bit Rate) digital audio formats, such as Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X and DTS-HD Master Audio are passed through to both HDMI outputs.

JVC Visual Systems will introduce two Visualization Series projectors designed for the simulation market next week. The DLA‑VS4700 projector is native 4K resolution with e-shift technology (it can display up to 8K resolution using this pixel-shirt process), while the DLA‑VS4010NLG is JVC’s brightest simulation projector and provides 11 percent more vertical picture area than other 4K projectors, according to JVC.

Both three-chip D-ILA projectors feature their BLU-Escent technology, JVC’s solid-state, laser‑phosphor hybrid illumination system that’s spec’d at more than 20,000 projection hours. Each model also offers high contrast IR output, which is ideal for simulated NVG applications.

Designed for simulations, immersive displays, museums and medical institutions, the DLA‑VS4010NLG displays 4096×2400 pixels and delivers 6000 lumens with greater than 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Compatible with a variety of fixed or zoom lenses, the DLA‑VS4010NLG offers 8-bit bit depth with single-link DVI and 12-bit color bit depth with dual-link DVI. Connectivity options include four DVI-D dual-link inputs, as well as Ethernet, USB and three RS232 ports.

The DLA-VS4010NLG will be available in December 2017 and the DLA‑VS4700 will be available in Spring 2018. Here are more details.

The HDMI Forum today announced the release of Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification which is now available to all HDMI 2.0 adopters. This latest HDMI Specification supports a range of higher video resolutions and refresh rates including 8K60 and 4K120 and resolutions up to 10K. Dynamic HDR formats are also supported and bandwidth capability is increased up to 48 Gbps.

Supporting the 48Gbps bandwidth is the new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable. The cable ensures high-bandwidth dependent features are delivered including uncompressed 8K video with HDR. It features exceptionally low EMI (electro-magnetic interference) which reduces interference with nearby wireless devices. The cable is backwards compatible and can be used with the existing installed base of HDMI devices.

Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification is backward compatible with earlier versions of the specification, and was developed by the HDMI Forum’s Technical Working Group whose members represent some of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, personal computers, mobile devices, cables and components.

HDMI Specification 2.1 Features Include:

Higher video resolutions support a range of high resolutions and faster refresh rates including 8K60Hz and 4K120Hz for immersive viewing and smooth fast-action detail. Resolutions up to 10K are also supported for commercial AV, and industrial and specialty usages.

Dynamic HDR support ensures every moment of a video is displayed at its ideal values for depth, detail, brightness, contrast and wider color gamuts — on a scene-by-scene or even a frame-by-frame basis.

The Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable supports the 48G bandwidth for uncompressed HDMI 2.1 feature support. The cable also features very low EMI emission and is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the HDMI Specification and can be used with existing HDMI devices.

Key Digital has introduced the KD-X422WP wall plate HDBaseT extender set. KD-X422WP includes KD-X422WPTx wall plate transmitter and KD-XWPRx black-box receiver. This HDCP2.2 compliant set extends UHD 4K/30 4:4:4 and UHD 4K/60 4:2:0 signals up to 125′ over a single CAT5e/6 UTP/STP cable. For non-4K applications 1080p/60 signals can be extended up to 230′.

KD-X422WP is designed for conference rooms, huddle spaces and classrooms and incliudes IR, RS232 and power connections are located on phoenix terminals on the rear of the plate.

POH (Power over HDBaseT) on KD-X422WP gives the integrator the choice of powering either the Tx or the Rx unit. A 25’ power cable is built-in to the power transformer for wiring up the wall from the Tx unit to the monitor if needed. It includes EDID and each Tx unit may extend RS232 to the connected monitor/projector or be set as a controllable device for collecting connectivity status.

The ability to natively integrate with CONVERGE Pro 2 mixers makes the DIALOG 20 the an interesting two-channel wireless microphone system. All current owners of the ClearOne DIALOG 20 wireless system will be able to upgrade and obtain native integration through an easy software update.

The DIALOG 20 is a two-channel professional digital wireless system with flexible powering and mounting options, plug and play installation and the ability to connect digitally to ClearOne CONVERGE Pro 2 DSP mixers. It also has standard audio and GPIO interfaces for any third-party audio mixer. It claims to deliver full audio bandwidth through gooseneck, boundary, belt-pack or handheld transmitters and can connect to any type of audio conferencing or reinforcement system.

Leveraging ClearOne’s frequency-hopping “spread” spectrum technology within the 2.4 GHz unlicensed spectrum, DIALOG 20 owns several inserting advantages over fixed-frequency transmission. Its design is inherently resistant to narrowband interference because it uses a pseudo-random sequence to switch frequency; this makes frequency-hopping signals extremely tough to intercept. The use of 128-bit AES encryption on each hopped frequency further secures the wireless audio transmission.

Designed for plug-and-play connectivity on any Mac, PC or Linux system supporting USB 3.0 input infrastructure, the CV502-U3 uses video capture drivers included with common computer software and soft codecs. Through the use of UVC 1.5, common teleconference and video capture programs can adapt best resolution and frame rate for optimal performance. Marshall also offers free downloadable software for manual adjustment and control where applications require it.

Using the same sensor and processor Marshall’s CV502, CV505 and CV565 miniature cameras, the CV502-U3 delivers up to 1920x1080p resolution at 60/59.94/50 frame rates. With a very low 0.2 lux (color) rating, Marshall says that the CV502-U3 captures accurate, sharp color images even under low-light conditions. The CV502-U3 ships with an ultra-wide 2.3mm 126° Angle-of-View (AOV) HD lens that is interchangeable to customize for specific applications. Marshall offers a wide assortment of lens options for a fully-customizable AOV and focal length per camera position within an installation.

Today at AWS re:Invent 2017, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced Alexa for Business. Alexa for Business lets you use Amazon Alexa to voice-enable your workplace by providing the tools you need to manage Amazon Alexa devices, skills, and users at scale, and an API to build custom, context-aware voice skills for your organization. Zoom has collaborated with AWS to enable a conferencing use case. Let’s take a look at what Zoom with Alexa for Business can do for your conference rooms.

Zoom’s Zoom Rooms with Alexa for Business means that a user can start your meetings with a voice – no control panel required. Simply walk into the Zoom Room and say, “Alexa, start the meeting.” Amazon Alexa will confirm which meeting with a question like, “Do you want to join the meeting organized by Mike?” Once you say “Yes,” she will start the meeting. If you’d like to join another meeting and you know the meeting ID, instead of saying “Yes,” you say “No.” This will prompt Alexa to ask you the meeting ID, which you can say aloud to her.

Likewise, users of Polycom or Cisco traditional room systems can also easily host or join a Zoom meeting by using Cisco or Polycom skills via Zoom’s H.323/SIP Connector. Go here for more details.

Biamp Systems today announced that effective immediately, longtime AV industry executive Rashid Skaf is assuming the role of president, CEO and co-chairman for the Beaverton, Ore. company. Matt Czyzewski, previous president and CEO of Biamp, will remain as executive vice president of technology. This appointment is concurrent with the completion of the acquisition of Biamp Systems by Highlander Partners from previous owner Lomar Corporation. Lomar will retain a minority investment in Biamp.

Skaf is a well-recognized and respected figure within the professional AV industry. He is best known for his 15 years at the helm of AMX, a pioneer in professional AV and control systems that he grew to become one of the industry’s largest participants and most respected brands. He sold AMX to Harman Industries in 2014 and, after a brief transition period, left to serve as an advisor to various investment groups. He eventually joined Highlander Partners, where he serves as a senior advisor. Highlander Partners is a Dallas-based private equity company with over $1.4 billion under management. Skaf joined Highlander to identify candidate technology companies and Biamp is the first investment borne from that initiative.

Skaf commented, “I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to join another truly iconic brand in the AV industry. Even while CEO of AMX, I was intimately familiar with Biamp and developed deep respect for its products, brand, and organization. So much so that I sought to acquire the company several times over the past 10 years. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join and lead the Biamp team. I have no doubt that together we will usher Biamp into an exciting new period of growth and industry leadership that will benefit the company and its employees and channel partners.”

Mike Nicolais, vice chairman and CEO of Highlander Partners stated, “Highlander’s investment philosophy is to buy and build. It seeks to build value in enterprises by finding well run, profitable businesses in healthy industries that have the potential for significant future growth through both organic expansion of the existing business and strategic additions of complementary acquisitions. Biamp is an excellent platform company to implement that same strategy in its industry.”

Skaf added, “Biamp is one of the most successful professional audio management companies in the world. Despite its undeniable leadership position, I see clear opportunities to grow market share of its current products and expand into new markets through an aggressive program of internal development and company acquisition. I will soon reach out to the many excellent suppliers and industry partners Biamp works with today, and those others I worked with in the past, to build a passionate community committed to meeting mutual growth objectives. I consider the excellence of our extended community of partners to be a critical factor in the future success of Biamp.”

Extron just launched the TLP Pro 1025T 10″ Tabletop TouchLink Pro Touchpanel. Extron redesigned this latest touchpanel inside and out with a new, high-performance quad-core processor, eight times more memory, a higher resolution, 1280×800 capacitive touchscreen built with scratch and smudge-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass, and a sweeping back design. The TLP Pro 1025T also features PoE – Power over Ethernet, which allows it to receive power and communication over a single Ethernet cable. It is ideal in any environment requiring a stylish, tabletop touchpanel with a fully-customizable interface.

The new Pro L-Series includes seven new models – six WUXGA projectors with 4K Enhancement ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 lumens of color and white brightness and one SXGA+ resolution projector with 15,000 lumens. The projectors feature BT.709 color space, flexible connection options, high native contrast ratio, and 360-degree installation. In addition, the three 15,000 lumen laser projectors operate from a standard 120V power outlet and feature the same compact cabinet as the rest of the line – this is a big, big deal for the rental market.

All six models are spec’d for up to 20,000 hours of laser light source operation. Epson is the first manufacturer to combine inorganic 3LCD panels with an inorganic phosphor wheel to achieve this level of brightness and colorimetry in a laser projector.

In addition, the new ultra short-throw ELPLX02 lens that projects from 100-inches up to 1000-inches is now available alongside Epson’s extensive selection of lenses. The ELPLX02 ultra short-throw lens is the perfect solution for space-constrained environments and rear-projection applications. It also enables the 12,000 and 15,000 lumen Pro L-Series laser projectors to deliver large-size images from very short distances. With a 0.35 throw ratio, negative offset and impressive lens shift range.

Each projector uses a solid-state laser light source and electrostatic air filter and inputs include HDBaseT, 3G-SDI, HDMI, VGA and are compatible with Crestron RoomView, AMX, Extron XTP, Control4 and Art-Net. There are nine optional interchangeable lenses including the new ultra short-throw ELPLX02. And, because they are SSD, you can install at any angle (full 360-degree installation flexibility). The new Epson Pro L-Series projectors are currently available and the ELPLX02 ultra short-throw lens (list $13,999) will be available in January 2018.

Audinate has announced the availability of Dante IP Core, a soft IP solution for audio manufacturers. It allows OEMs working with FPGA-based designs to add Dante audio connectivity to AV products at a lower cost and with greater flexibility than ever before.

Development teams can save time, reduce BOM costs and minimize their internal footprint by using a single FPGA to implement both product applications and Dante audio networking. Dante IP Core efficiently runs alongside OEM product applications such as ASRC, audio encryption, and signal processing on a range of Xilinx FPGAs, providing channel counts up to 512×512 with ultra-low latency and sub-microsecond synchronization.

Dante IP Core reduces the marginal costs of incorporating Dante in FPGA-based products, offering OEMs greater flexibility in aligning product families. Dante IP Core runs on the widely used Xilinx family of FPGAs. and provides all the interfaces required to be a fully functional Dante endpoint, including SiLabs clock synthesis, serial and parallel audio, DDR2 and SRAM, and a variety of standard control interfaces including UART, SPI and I2C.

Audinate is now a member of the Xilinx Alliance Program, a global community of qualified vendors that offers IP cores, tools and support for system designers who are developing innovative products using Xilinx FPGAs.

Dante IP Core is available for the Xilinx Spartan 6 family of FPGAs. Support for the Artix 7 FPGA is expected Q1 2018. For additional information, go here.

Epiphan Video announced their new post-production service, AV Studio. AV Studio is a SaaS product that streamlines post-processing of recorded video through remote operation and monitoring of simple on-site capture hardware. AV Studio doubles revenue for AV service companies by enabling ultra low-cost recording and post-production of live seminars and conference breakout rooms using cloud-based infrastructure.

AV Studio minimizes the total number of on-site personnel required for production of large numbers of video materials, including full-resolution ISO files and engaging PiP layouts.

Extron has updated its GlobalViewer Enterprise software to GVE version 2.7. This software simplifies AV system resource management with control for hundreds of common AV tasks and a way to manage, monitor and control nearly any device over a standard network. It allows administrators to access usage data, create reports and control systems from any computer on the network. This new version adds support for the Extron RoomAware Outlook Add-in to automate conference room functions for scheduled meetings. Also, GVE 2.7 includes compatibility with additional facility calendars such as Microsoft Exchange 2013, Exchange 2016, and Office 365. Additional features include support for the HC 404 Meeting Space Collaboration System, an enhanced help desk for accessing detailed room data and control and more robust monitoring and reporting capabilities.

The help desk in GVE 2.7 displays all devices in every AV system and enables users to easily filter equipment down to the room level or device type. GVE also helps support teams and decision makers gain an improved understanding of usage and maintenance patterns through its robust set of standard and custom reporting tools. Improved analytics provide the information teams need to closely analyze inventory, usage and costs, activity patterns and trends across the organization. Users can also effectively manage and control AV installations on-the-go using the iGVE app on Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices.

DisplayNote Technologies Launches Montage as a Software-First Wireless Presentation System

DisplayNote Technologies announces an update to Montage which sees the product available as a software only solution. This update includes a new streaming protocol, a cloud based management portal, and enhanced security and network features. Designed for the meeting spaces of large enterprises, Montage allows multiple users, whether they’re in room, remote or on separate networks to wirelessly cast content from their device to a main meeting room screen without the need for additional hardware.

Available as Windows or Android software, Montage can now be deployed securely onto hardware that typically exists meeting spaces, such as mini PCs, compute sticks, fixed PCs or flat panels. If no hardware end point is available Montage can be deployed and delivered on its own hardware.

Users can connect with any device with client apps for Windows, Web, iOS, Android and Airplay support.

In addition, DisplayNote claims the Montage has better video performance, attendees on guest networks or connecting remotely can share content in the exact same way as those on the corporate network and now attendees can connect via Web, Windows, native iOS, native Android and Airplay. All inbound and outbound data from our backend layer is encrypted and transmitted over TLS or DTLS with 2048-bit asymmetric encryption and 256-bit symmetric encryption using certificates from third party credited authorities. Montage uses a combination of both Azure and Amazon services to provide a resilient and redundant backend.

Christie is expanding its D Series lineup with three new value-priced single-lamp models, which are available with up to 8100 ISO lumens and both WUXGA (1920×1200) and HD (1920×1080) resolutions.

The new Christie D Series projectors offer 65,000:1 contrast ratio, 3,000 hours of lamp life, and easy integration – designed for higher education, business, museums, houses of worship, government facilities and selected rental and staging venues where they seamlessly integrate into any environment.

The new LWU720i-D, LWU620i-D and LHD720i-D projectors are lamp-based projectors.

The new Christie D Series models come with a three-year parts and labor warranty and ship in December 2017. Here are the details.

Advoli Limited announced this week the advoli TA6 Graphics Card, claiming it to be the world’s first HDBaseT certified PCIe 16x graphics card. The TA6 Graphics Card, powered by the AMD Embedded Radeon E9550 Series GPU, delivers six HDBaseT channels with independent 4K (UHD) resolution videos over 100 meters distance, using CAT cables.

The full commercial launch of the advoli TA6 Graphics Card will be at ISE 2018 in Amsterdam, where advoli will have a live demo at the HDBaseT Alliance booth (Hall 5, Booth S100).

In addition to audio and video, the advoli TA6 Graphics Card comes with HDBaseT and cable diagnostics, pass-through IR (in/out), full emulated controls — encoding/decoding of IR, RS232 and CEC signals through serial command interface. These features and remote diagnostic capabilities simplify support for system integrators of audiovisual installations.

The advoli TA6 Graphics Card has a modular design, and can use various Type A and Type B MXM modules, allowing for easy upgrades to more processing power in the future. The advoli TA6 Graphics Card provides a high–performance experience, thanks to the integrated AMD Embedded Radeon E9550 Series GPU. No custom advoli drivers are needed. Future TA6 Graphics Cards will be available with lower processing power, delivering FHD over 150 meters per hop, targeting lower cost and greater distance installations.

Extron just introduced the new DA HD 4K PLUS Series one input, multiple output distribution amplifiers for HDMI signals at resolutions up to 4K/60 @ 4:4:4 chroma sampling. The DA HD 4K PLUS Seriesare HDCP 2.2 compliant, and support data rates up to 18 Gbps, HDR, Deep Color up to 12-bit, 3D and HD lossless audio formats. They also include integrator-friendly features such as automatic input cable equalization, automatic color bit depth management and selectable output muting via RS232. The DA HD 4K PLUS Series distribution amplifiers are available in two, four and six output sizes and are ideal for applications that require the distribution of a 4K/60 HDMI source signal to multiple displays.

To enhance and simplify integration, front panel indicators provide easy monitoring and troubleshooting. Outputs can be muted independently via RS232, allowing content to be previewed on a local monitor. Also featured are Extron EDID Minder and Key Minder technologies to maintain continuous EDID communication between connected devices, ensuring simultaneous distribution of HDCP-encrypted source content. Each output on the DA HD 4K PLUS Series provides +5 VDC, 250 mA for powering peripheral devices.

The DA2 HD 4K PLUS is housed in a 1″ (2.5 cm) high, quarter rack width metal enclosure that can be mounted in a rack or discreetly installed beneath a desk. It includes an external, universal power supply for worldwide power compatibility. The DA4 HD 4K PLUS and DA6 HD 4K PLUS are housed in 1U high, half rack width metal enclosures, are rack-mountable and are equipped with internal universal power supplies.

Extron Electronics just launched the new AXI 02 AT, a compact audio interface that extracts two channels from a Dante audio network. This 1/8 rack width Dante audio interface provides two channels of output to devices without Dante connectivity. It features two line level analog outputs and a mirrored two-channel S/PDIF output. The AXI 02 AT interfaces with any Dante-equipped audio device, such as an Extron DMP 128 Plus C AT, over a standard local area network and is powered through PoE. The AXI 02 AT is also compatible with Extron Rack Shelves and ZipClip mounting solutions.

“Dante is the preferred audio networking solution deployed by AV integrators across all professional AV environments,” says Casey Hall, vice president of world wide sales and marketing for Extron. “The AXI 02 AT provides a compact, cost-effective solution for taking two channels from the Dante network and providing the signal to local devices.”

Dante enables audio system scalability over a local area network using standard Internet protocols. The family of Dante-enabled products from Extron work together as part of a complete networked audio system solution and integrate with other Dante-enabled products to create efficient, scalable system designs. They accommodate a wide range of audio routing needs in a variety of applications.

Developed to be flexible, scalable and customizable, the AVXWALL series is a video wall solution that uses a modular processor, hot swappable I/O cards and is custom built and customized for each project.

AVXWALL+ is Avenview’s second-generation modular videowall processor that they say has a more powerful processor, more bandwidth and more featuresrequired for control rooms.

Built on a hardware platform, the AVXWALL+ uses FPGA processors (not a PC platform) and they say that means it’s not susceptible to system crashes, viruses or computer hacks. Startup time is very fast (less than 00:20 seconds) and each of the I/O cards are hot swappable — if any card needs to be upgraded or replaced, the entire system does not have to be shut down, thereby increasing uptime.

The AVXWALL+ is HDCP compliant, is available in multiple chassis sizes (from 2U – 28U), is capable of accommodating up to 156 inputs and 156 outputs and has an on screen display for full control of the AVXWALL+ with a mouse and keyboard connected directly to the unit.

Optional eight-port KVM cards are available to provide control of up to eight USB or HID compatible devices per card. The main operator can therefore have access to and control of multiple workstations with a single connected keyboard and mouse.

The optional confidence monitor card provides an output of the entire videowall to another screen for the operator to view, monitor, stream or record for backup and security purposes.

Optoma Intros New Line of High Brightness Projectors for Classroom and Corporate Environments

Optoma today announced five new projectors designed to bring high brightness into classrooms, corporate boardrooms and multipurpose offices: the WU465, EH465, EH460ST, W460 and X460.

The Optoma WU465 and Optoma EH465 are WUXGA (1920×1200) and 1920×1080 HD resolution projector spec’d at 4,800 lumens of brightness, a 20,000:1 contrast ratio and a 1: 1.5x zoom ratio. Pricing is $1,299 and $1,199, respectively.

The Optoma EH460ST is 1920×1080 HD resolution and also spec’d at a 20,000:1 contrast ratio but at 4,200 lumens. It’s priced at $1,099.

The Optoma W460 and Optoma X460 are WXGA (1280×800) and XGA (1024×768) resolution respectively, are also 20,000:1 contrast ratio and have a 1:1.2x zoom. The Optoma W460 is spec’d at 4,600 lumens of brightness, and the Optoma X460 4,500 lumens and they are available for $849 and $799, respectively.

All of the new Optoma 460 and 465 models feature two HDMI inputs (with MHL as well as VGA-in/out, audio-in/out, RJ45, USB reader and RS232C. These projectors also provide both USB display screen mirroring and wireless screen mirroring capabilities for Android, iOS, PC, Mac OS X and Windows devices.

Altinex just launched the TNP327 and TNP327C Tilt ‘N Plug tabletop interconnect boxes. Available in both standard and custom configurations, the TNP327 is designed for mounting into tables, podiums or other furniture as part of a presentation system. Inputs are accessed by pushing down on the top cover, allowing the unit to tilt open. The inputs are hidden by pressing down on the top cover until the latching mechanism engages. In its closed position, the top panel lies nearly flush with the table’s top — held in place by the latching mechanism.

In its stock configuration, the new Altinex TNP327 offers dual 12-amp grounded AC sockets, along with two RJ45 network connectors, two USB connectors and two HDMI pass-through cables. The passive cables are six feet in length and are bundled together for organized cable management. The power cable is split to deliver power to both outlets on the tabletop from a single AC plug.

The Altinex TNP327 Tilt ‘N Plug interconnect box is available now at $425 and $475 for custom configurations of the TNP327C. More information is here and here.

Delta Display Solutions’ new FE Series Fine Pitch Indoor LEDs are designed for high ambient light environments and come in 1.26, 1.58, 1.9 and 2.5mm pixel pitches. And Delta now offers the LED cabinets in pre-configured sizes ranging from 110” to 220” in full HD and 220” up to 440” in UHD resolution. The fine-pitch pixels choices and size configurations accommodate a wide range of viewing distances and applications. Each is in an exact 16:9 aspect ratio, which fits standard content supplied via many sources.

The aluminum die-cast frame is designed so that each LED module attaches magnetically to the cabinet.

Key specs:

Each individual cabinet has a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 27″ diagonal

Full-HD configurations available in 110”, 137”, 165” and 220” diagonal

UHD configurations available in 220”, 275”, 330” and 440” diagonal

Front installation options

Certified UL, CB, CE, FCC, CCC

Delta’s FE Series of indoor LED Display Systems start from 75,000 EUR, not including installation. Here are the details.

For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe ProAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!

For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100 percent opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the ProAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).

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A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue, which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.

Everything we publish is Opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship ePublication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA and launched in February 2004, is, by far, the largest ePub in the HomeAV market. We added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. We added rAVe GHGav [Green, Healthcare & Government AV] in August 2010 and rAVe HOW [House of Worship] in July 2012. You can subscribe to any of those publication or see ALL our archives by going to: http://www.ravepubs.com